Cart.



No. 898,344. PATENT'ED SEPT. s, 1903.. W. EARNBST.

CART.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 6, 1908.

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WILLIAM EARNEST, OF GARYVILLE, LOUISIANA.

CART.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 8, 1908.

Application filed May e, 190s. serial No. 431,245.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM EARNEsT,

citizen of the United States, residing at Garyfor its object to provide a simple and inexpensive cart the body of which is carried near the ground and is supported on springs in such manner that its weight is not imposed on the draft animal hitched to the cart.

With the foregoing in mind the invention will be fully understood from the following description and claims when the same are read in connection with the drawings, accompanying and forming part of this specification, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the cart constituting the best practical embodiment of my invention known to me. Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken in the plane indicated by the line 2 2 of Fig. 1 looking toward the rear of the cart. Fig. 3 is a detail longitudinal vertical section taken in the plane indicated by the line 3 3 of Fig. 2 and illustrating the arrangement of the resilient tongue on the forward end of the body, relative to the depending loop on the cross-bar of the shafts. Fig. 4 is a detail transverse section taken in the plane indicated by the line 4 4 of Fig. l and showing one of the side bars on the body, one of the shafts and the bow spring interposed between and con- Ilected to Said side bar and shaft. Fig. 5 is a detail longitudinal vertical section illustrating the manner in which I prefer to connect the shafts and springs with the portions of the axle adjacentto the inner ends of the axle spindles.

Similar letters designate corresponding parts in all of the views of the drawings, referring to which:

A is the axle of my novel cart, which is povided with a drop portion a and spinc es b.

B B are supporting wheels mounted and suitably retained on the axle spindles, and C C are shafts. The portions of the axle adjacent to the inner ends of the spindles b are rectangular in cross-section, and it is upon the said portions, which are lettered c, that the shafts C are arranged as best shown in Fig. 5. Bow springs D are arranged longitudinally upon the shafts C, and connection between the said springs, shafts and axle are preferably effected through the medium of the means best shown in the said Fig. 5. By reference to Fig. 5 it will be noted that a casting d having a drop portion is arranged below the axle portion c and the shaft thereon, and that the end portions of the said casting, the shaft and the spring above the shaft are connected through the medium of clips e which are arranged at opposite sides of the axle portion c and straddle the spring, the shaft and the end portions of the casting d and have cross-bars f secured by nuts on their ends. In this way it will be seen that the parts are securely connected together, and yet may be readily disassembled when necessity demands.

E is the body of the cart, which in general may be of any construction consonant with the purpose of my invention. The said body extends about the proportional distance illustrated down into the drop portion of the axle A, and is provided upon its sides with side bars F. These side bars are arranged above the rear portions of the shafts C and upon the springs D to the end portions of which they are clipped or otherwise connected. From this it follows that the springs D are utilized to efficiently cushion the body E and at the same time effect connection between the body on the one hand and the shafts and axle on the other hand, this being advantageous since it contributes materially to the cheapness of the cart as a whole.

The shafts C are provided at a point immediately in front of the body E with a crossbar G, and on the said cross-bar, which is fixed to the shafts,is aswingletree H. It will also be seen by reference to Figs. 2 and 3 that the cross-bar G is provided at its middle with a depending loop I which is preferably formed of metal and xed to the cross-bar. The said depending loop I receives the forwardly extending resilient tongue J which is connected with the forward end of the body E and moves up and down therewith. The loop I and the resilient tongue J constitute important features of my invention inasmuch as the tongue J is adapted by bringing up against the bottom of the loop and the underside of the cross-bar G to limit the down and up movements of the forward end of the body, and this without shock and j ar. The latter is due to the fact that the resilient tongue J yieldingly and gradually stops the forward end of the body incidental to vertical movements of the body on the springs D.

It will be gathered from the foregoing that by reason of the construction of my novel cart the weight of the body E is placed on the axle A which is materially advantageous since all that the draft animal hitched to the cart has to do is to support the shafts and draw or back the cart as occasion demands. It will also be gathered from the foregoing that the cart as a whole is simple and inexpensive in construction and is well adapted to withstand the usage to which carts of corresponding character are ordinarily subjected.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is:

1. A cart comprising an axle having an intermediate drop portion and also having spindles, wheels mounted on the said'spindles, shafts arranged on the axle at opposite sides of the drop portion thereof, a cross-bar fixed to and connecting the shafts at a point in front of the axle, a loop fixed to and de* pending from the said cross-bar, a body disposed in the drop portion of the axle and between the upright ortions thereof and also disposed in rear of the said cross-bar and having at an intermediate point in its height longitudinal side bars disposed above and in the same vertical planes as the rear portions of the shafts and extending fore and aft of the axle, longitudinally disposed bow springs interposed between the rear portions of the shafts and the end portions of the side bars and'connected with the same and also with the axle, and a resilient tongue fixed to and extending forwardly from the body and having a free forward portion movable up and down in the depending loop on the said cross-bar.

2. The combination in a cart, of an axle having an intermediate drop portion and also having spindles, a body extending down into and movable vertically in said dro portion of the axle, shafts connected wit the axle at opposite sides of the drop portion thereof, longitudinal springs interposed between and connected with the body and the shafts, a cross-bar fixed to the shafts and disosed in front of the body, a depending loop ed to said cross-bar, and a resilient tongue fixed to and extending forward from the front Wall of the body and having a free forward portion disposed and movable vertically in the said loop.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM EARNEsT.

Witnesses WALTER J. NICHOLAS, FRANK W. ARMSTRONG. 

